Sweet Nightmares
by LazyKyri
Summary: Eri was finally recovering from her past, making a new start along with new friends at a new school. Unfortunately the past has a way of rearing its ugly head - especially when you get pulled into someone else's plans of crazy revenge.
1. Mocha Heaven

**AN: So here's another Bleach Fanfiction I started. I'm posting these in the hopes of quieting the inner critic that tells me most of my stories are horrible. I'm hoping that someone besides me will enjoy them :) Again it's written in the first person and the main character is an OC so if that isn't your thing then you may want to look elsewhere. I do welcome reviews or criticism so I can figure out if what plays in my imagination should come out or should just stay up there in my head. **

**I don't own Bleach. **

It all started that summer, right before my last year in high school (well, technically I should have been out of school, but I'd spent most of last year recuperating), when I learned just how different a Hollow attack could make you. Karakura was a new place for me, I'd been sent to live with Kisuke Urahara - some distant family relation from a side of the family tree that was more brambles and tangles than anything else - at his shop to recover (i.e. for my protection) from the night Asano attacked me. The whole situation was odd, working at the shop that rarely got customers, dealing with Kisuke and his vague sayings behind that curious fan, Tessai who looked like a badass brute but was really a teddy bear of a man, Jinta and Ururu who both seemed to flip-flop between acting 10 and acting much older. But it had helped me heal, the nightmares that woke me up screaming from the attack had gone from nightly to once every few weeks or so, and thankfully I rarely ever needed the tranquilizers to smooth out the panic attacks any more. Even the heavy spiritual energy that sometimes accompanied Kisuke's late night visitors had stopped freaking me out. Plus I was in some of the best shape of my life, thanks to the daily (heck, sometimes twice daily) training I got in either quarter staves - my preference- or swordplay.

Then, in the last month of summer, he showed up. Renji.

"Kisuke, we're out of coffee again," I growled from the kitchen, slamming cupboards. My mornings didn't start well without at least one caffeinated cup of mocha heaven.

"There's instant in the cupboard above the fridge," he called back from what sounded like the living room. I sighed, he just didn't get it, instant was like having to eat a la dumpster when you were used to dining in five star restaurants. Refusing to accept that fate, I rummaged through more drawers purposefully making as much noise as I could to communicate my utter disgust about the whole no coffee situation. Someone shuffled in behind me and my spirits soared, hoping it was Kisuke coming to show me some secret stash he had hidden just for these types of emergencies.

"Urahara, you better have some sort of secret stash or-" I whirled around, and my brain short circuited. It definitely wasn't Kisuke behind me, instead it was some sort of male god, still wet from a shower and wearing nothing but a rather arrogant smile and a low slung towel. Blood red hair was still dripping as it fell onto a chest so defined it may as well have been sculpted out of granite. This in turn was framed by a set of symmetrical jagged black tattoos that screamed danger, one pair bisected by that towel and I found myself briefly wondering how far the tattoos went down. Embarrassed by that train of thought, I snapped my eyes back up to his face, surprised that the tattoos continued there in an almost tribal design across his forehead and down his cheeks, and burgundy eyes sparkled with laughter when they met mine.

"Like what ya see?" he asked, his voice rough, and I felt myself start to turn red.

"Y-y-you're not Kisuke..." I stammered.

"No, no I'm not," he laughed.

"Renji! Get some clothes on before you kill poor Eri," Kisuke scolded. He was standing in the doorway, trying to hide his grin behind a fan, and I had a sneaking feeling he'd just set me up. The feeling was confirmed when he strode into the kitchen and brushed past me to open the freezer door. "Your coffee, milady," he handed me the nearly empty bag.

I closed my eyes and tried to collect my thoughts in an all too futile attempt to cool my flaming cheeks and put a lid on my temper. "Ah, don't sweat it, Kitten," hot breath caressed my cheek as the stranger whispered in my ear. "You're cute when ya blush."

I just growled in reply while he walked away laughing. Once I was certain the guy was out of earshot, I turned to Kisuke and snapped my eyes back open. "Who was that?!" I asked, finally feeling myself get back to normal.

"That was Renji," Kisuke replied, still wearing that self-satisfied grin. Rolling my eyes at him, I turned to start the coffee, telling myself it was just lack of caffeine that still had me a little befuddled by Renji's presence. Once the machine was happily making it's bubbly percolating noise, I'd finally managed to stow away my embarrassment and filled a cup straight from the machine instead of waiting for the carafe. I'd started to pour my creamer in when Kisuke broke the silence, "He's right about that Eri, you are cute when you get embarrassed." At that I flushed again, and dropped the creamer, Kisuke walked out of the kitchen laughing.

I was still grumbling later that day when I slipped down into the training room, finally finishing my 'shift' at the store, an uneventful duty that had put me in a sour mood. Mainly because I'd run across a couple of little punks who were bullying another kid outside the store, and I'd always hated bullies. My anger had gotten the best of me, and I'd chased the kids off - earning the title of stupid bitch- and the other poor kid hadn't even been thankful! He'd just kicked me in the shins and told me to mind my own business.

For that reason I was going through my warm ups with a bit more force than I should have, angrily working off the steam from those stupid kids and that incident this morning, mindlessly just attacking instead of following the routine I normally used when Kisuke wasn't here to spar. I'd just managed to work up a sweat and was bringing back the staff for a particularly brutal downswing, when it suddenly jerked to a halt.

"Kitten, ya ain't gonna be able ta fight off anything if ya keep just swingin' aimlessly like that," Renji whispered in my ear again. Flames crept up my face and I dropped my end of the staff, then dropped into a crouch, spinning to hook a leg under his feet and laughing when he toppled.

"I can handle myself," I replied. He lay there for a minute, surprise clearly etched on his face and I felt a bit better about this morning. Part of me was glad he'd opted for more clothes this time, a black tank top that fit almost like a glove, and looser black workout pants, and I studiously decided to ignore the small part of me that was bemoaning the fact that he wasn't shirtless again. That red hair was pulled into a spiky ponytail, and a bandana wrapped around his forehead kept the strays from hanging in his eyes. 'He is really, really hot, even with clothes,' I thought. Brandy colored eyes locked on mine and he smirked again, making me wonder if I'd just said that out loud...

"Ya gonna spend all day checkin' me out, or would ya like to spar a bit?" Renji grinned. "'Cause, if ya keep lookin' at me all hungry like tha' I'm gonna 'spect some f'llow thru." His voice had turned husky towards the end, and the rough drawl had thickened. I shook my head to clear it, then reached out a hand to help the man up, still feeling an impossible shade of red.

"You mind using staves?" I asked as he grabbed onto my hand. I thought I saw a bit of disappointment flicker in his eyes, but he masked it quickly and a friendly challenge crept into his trademark smirk.

"Bit different, ain't used 'em in a while," he shrugged, then handed me back my weapon. Eyes flicked over the small weapon rack, and he picked up the quarterstaff Kisuke had left down here on the off chance that I could convince Tessai to spar with me. The staff was a little large for the man, as Tessai was a huge mountain of a guy, but it still looked right in Renji's hands as he gave a few test swings. I couldn't help but notice that he still held and swung it like a sword, and I realized this was about to get interesting. Whenever I sparred Kisuke it was always him just taking the defensive, encouraging me while never attacking me, but I could already tell that Renji was a more action oriented guy. Plus it was obvious that he planned to wield the weapon like a sword, and I wondered if this was the bit of excitement I was missing from my workouts with Kisuke.

He turned to me and cocked an eyebrow, a signal that he was ready to begin, and I swung down hard with one side of my staff, expecting the block before following through with the other side in a sneakier double attack. He blocked the other as well, and with that we were off. I was surprised, I was blocking most of his offensive attacks (though I had a feeling he was holding back a bit), while he was blocking all of mine, and I could tell that he was a seasoned fighter. After about an hour of all out sparring, he surprised me by hooking the end of his staff behind my knees and sweeping my feet out from under me. I landed with an oomph and just laid there for a moment, breathing heavily.

"Had enough, Kitten?" he didn't even sound fazed. He just stood there grinning at me, hand held out to help me up. Growling, I batted it away, then flung an elbow over my eyes, attempting to catch my breath. When my skin began to tingle a bit, and I peeked up at him, breath hitching at the pure hungry look on his face as his eyes roamed my form. I wondered a bit what he saw when he looked at me, I knew I wasn't an all-out looker, my hips a bit larger than most, and while I was toned I didn't have defined abs, and I wasn't all that generously filled out in the breasts either. But yet, Renji was staring down at me like he definitely liked what he saw. Then I glimpsed it, a bit of sadness and anger flickering in his eyes, and I peeked down, alarmed to see that my own tank top had crept up, revealing scars from where Asano had clawed my hips, torso and stomach. I jerked my shirt back down, and got up, keeping my eyes from meeting his.

"Done for the day," I told the ground. Shuffling movement teased my ears, then a pair of calloused fingers hooked under my chin, dragging my gaze back up to meet Renji's mischievous one.

"Don' be mad, Kitten, you've been checkin' me out all day, had ta return the f'vor now didn' I?" he smirked, and chucked his finger under my chin, setting off my blush again.

"My name is Eri," I growled and stomped off in the direction of a shower.

Later that night we were all gathered in the living room watching a movie, and I was brushing and braiding Ururu's hair for bed. Ok, so I was mostly playing with her hair, but she didn't seem to mind and I missed having long hair. I'd cut my own waist length mahogany strands into a short and spiky pixie, and kept it that way after learning the hard way how easy it was for someone to control you with. About halfway through the movie I'd finally stopped fiddling with her hair, making quick work of the braid before scooting her off my lap. She grinned at me, then continued watching the movie as I set the brush on the end table beside the couch.

"My turn," Renji whispered, and flopped down on the floor in front of me. He wiggled back until he was against my shins, then leaned on them until I moved them so he could rest against the back of the couch, one leg on either side of him. He handed me the brush with one hand, then undid the elastic tie holding his hair up, and I bit back a sigh as the red tumbled down to just beyond his shoulder blades. Tentatively I reached for his hair, surprised when it turned out to be silky soft instead of rough like most men's'. It was the surprising softness that kept me playing with his hair long after I'd brushed the knots out, not the soft rumble of pleased sounds he kept releasing. Or so I told myself, ignoring Kisuke grinning at me like an idiot. When the movie credits rolled across the screen, I looped the band around the tail of Renji's braid, then flipped over the back of the couch to stand up and stretch.

"Goodnight everybody," I yawned, waving away the various goodnights I got back and wandering over to my room. I didn't even notice Renji following until he walked into my room and flopped down on my bed like he owned it. "Wha?! You are not sleeping in here, this is my room!"

"Was mine first," he shrugged. I jerked him back up and started trying to push him towards the door.

"Don't care, it's my room now!" I growled. He just laughed.

"Hey, don' get angry, Kitten," he turned and looked at me, a smirk on his face. "I don' mind sharin' if you don'. Fact I like a nice cuddle." He wrapped strong arms around my waist and buried his nose in the hollow between my neck and shoulder. Embarrassed I half-heartedly tried to push him away, but it felt really, really good when he did that. Thankfully I was saved by the sound of his cellphone going off, and he let out a frustrated growl before stepping back to take a look at the tiny screen. "Look, Eri, I have to take care of this. But know this, if ya sleep in tha' bed, you're gonna be sharin' it with me. So if that bothers ya, ya may want to try the couch."

He turned and left the room. I stood staring for a minute, then scoffed - he was just bluffing. No way would he actually crawl in with me after I was asleep, he was just messing with me! With that thought, I changed into my pajamas and curled up under the covers.

The dream began as it always did, with Asano at my front door, looking like a teenaged James Bond in a tux and holding long stemmed red roses. Sky blue eyes found mine and he leaned in for a sweet kiss before grabbing my hand and leading me to the waiting car. I felt like a princess in a fitted black gown, the risqué slit ending high up on my thigh. My hair was down - Asano liked it that way- and my make-up was perfect, eyes smoky and lips a daring red, and Asano looked like he wanted to ravage me there. Which he did once we got in the car, all wondering hands and hungry lips. When his hands got a little rough, I stopped him, and convinced him to walk with me by the river to cool down. That's when things turned horrible.

There was a little girl there by the river, wandering lost and alone, an odd chain hanging from her chest. She approached us and asked us if we knew where her mommy was, and Asano just kicked at her coldly before moving on.

"Asano!" I exclaimed, yanking him to a stop. He turned to me with an eyebrow lifted. "We should help her!"

"There's no help for her anymore, love," he shook his head. Then he smiled and it was cruel, before grabbing the girl by the chain. "Isn't that right, you're just a piece of soul trash- bait for the next hungry hollow," his voice was condescending and the girl whimpered.

"Stop it!" I yelled, and before I knew it I'd slapped him. He looked down at me in surprise, letting the girl go, before hatred and anger overwhelmed his angelic features. Out of nowhere, he backhanded me, then curled a hand around my throat before the whites of his eyes bled into black and his irises turned a glittering gold. A bony mask erupted from the back of his head, obscuring half his face. Claws erupted out of his fingers, each one sharp as he dug one hand into my right hip. I opened my mouth to scream-

"Shh-shh," a warm voice was whispering in my ear as I jerked awake. Strong arms were around my torso, and someone was murmuring soothing words as they pulled me in to a close embrace, chasing away the vestiges of the nightmare. I felt my breathing even out and I drifted back into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up to birds chirping and a warm heater like presence at my back, something heavy wrapped around my torso. Groggy, I happily shifted back into the warmth, pleased when the arm around my torso tightened and someone nuzzled my neck. Warm breath caressed my ear and I shivered a bit, entwining my fingers with the hand that was gently stroking my belly.

"Wow, ya sure are randy in the mornin' aren't you?" a gruff voice teased, waking me fully up. I gasped and shot of bed, glaring down at a half dressed Renji who was blinking sleepily at me. "Aww, Kitten, come back to bed, I didn' mean to ruin the moment. No funny business, I swear."

"Wha? How?" my mind swirled with questions, but each one died on my lips. I finally picked the most prominent one, "Did we... last night?"

This time the look Renji gave me was pure sin and I nearly melted. "Kitten, I'm hurt. Trust me, if that had happened, you'd remember," he smirked. I turned five shades of red, then raced from the room as he laughed and laughed.

After that it was like that every morning for that last month before school, I'd go to sleep alone after either kicking Renji out of my room or he'd get a text on that mysterious cell phone of his and I'd wake up with him spooning me, or wrapped around him while he lay on his back. The good was that he kept all but the worst nightmares at bay, and even those that he didn't banish he was able to wake me up from before I started screaming. The bad was it felt incredibly good to wake up next to Renji, and I missed it when he left the day before school started.


	2. Who Me? Lost? Never!

**AN: I already had quite a bit of this one done, so I decided to break it into a few chapters and post them all at once. Then as I write more I'll post more I guess. Anyway, yay if anyone's moved on to Chapter 2 and on with the story, right? Oh I forgot to throw this in with the other warnings - I'm not fond of cursing (I blame my childhood) and so I tend to stray away from it, but sometimes a curse word is needed in a story so if there are a few and folks find it offensive, or if folks find it offensive that I substitute words for curse words then I apologize in advance. Oh and I apologize for any grammar, spelling errors, or typos. I did use spell check and of course I've read over what I've written (with the exception of the Author's Notes) but sometimes my brain glosses over the stuff that spell check doesn't find because I know what I was trying to say when I was writing this thing. Oh and of course, sorry for any out of characterness.**

**I don't own Bleach.**

Great, first day at a new school and not only was I late, but I was lost, I'd tried to follow the map that the office had given me, but my poor sense of direction had me all turned around. I looked up at the sign for the restrooms again and realized that this was my 3rd time passing this area. Damn. So involved with the map and trying to figure out where I was and where my class was, I didn't even hear the women's room door open or see the girl that stepped out before I collided with her. Quick reflexes had me steadying her before she fell, and I immediately began apologizing, still focused on the map.

"It's ok," a soft voice practically smiled at me. "Hey, I've never seen you around here before, are you new?" Realizing there was no way of getting out of this conversation without appearing rude, I looked over at the other girl. She was pretty, I thought for a moment with a small stab of jealousy, petite with shoulder length dark honey blonde hair, and warm grey eyes.

"Just transferred today," I nodded.

"Oh! Well welcome! I'm Kurosaki Yuzu," she said with a slight giggle. "Is that your schedule? C'mon I'll show you where to go," she grabbed the schedule out of my hands and briefly read it over.

"Sure," I replied. "I'm Chiyome Eri."

"Nice to meet you, Eri," she glanced up. "Now follow me, we're in the same classes which means you're a senior too!" Yuzu took off down the hall, and I followed her up 2 flights of stairs I hadn't noticed and down a couple of hallways. We came to a stop outside a classroom marked 1-3, and burst in. "Yamachiro-san, I found Eri!"

"Hmmm... ah the new transfer student," the teacher smiled in what looked like relief. "Class this is Chiyome Eri, she's just transferred here from ******, so I expect everyone to be nice to her," Ms. Yamachiro instructed. I felt an odd rise in spiritual energy and a pair of angry eyes glaring at me and wondered if I was going to have to fight someone right then and there. Faking a nonchalance I didn't feel I looked around the room, most of the eyes staring at me were either curious or mocking, but there, near the back of the class sat a girl next to 2 empty desks - one was covered with books and a notebook, so I assumed that was Yuzu's, while the other near the window was just empty. I was put off by the anger I saw snapping in her nearly black eyes, but the energy that radiated off her was eerily familiar... Ah! The shop, one of the frequent visitors gave off a similar energy, if a bit more heavy and angry. Had to be related, I shrugged to myself, and both seemed to have a chip on their shoulder. Oh well, not my problem, I finished and tuned back in to what the teacher was saying - "yes, good idea Yuzu, we'll have her sit by you and Karin."

So dark eyes was Karin eh? I followed Yuzu to the desks, landing in my new chair with a graceless flop. I spent the rest of the class staring aimlessly out the window, my thoughts shifting back to why Renji had left so suddenly.

"Eri!" a voice accompanied a pinch on my left shoulder. Startled, I slammed back into the present to a now empty classroom, save for the two girls that were looking at me. Yuzu had concern in those gray eyes, while Karin just looked impatient.

"There you are!" Yuzu smiled. "This is my twin, Karin." I bit back an exclamation of surprise, the girls were night and day, where Yuzu was light in hair and eyes, Karin was dark, shoulder length jet black hair pinned down by a red baseball cap and those midnight black eyes.

"What's with the attitude, Karin?" I growled, and the angry pressure lessened, the girl looking at me with surprise and a little admiration.

"Don't like new people," she shrugged. I had a feeling it was something different, but I didn't press, and besides Yuzu interrupted with one very important detail.

"Lunchtime! C'mon Orihime is waiting!" she clapped her hands together and took off. With a shrug, we both followed the energetic girl.

"Tsch, admit it, you're hoping she brought Chad or Noba along, maybe even both!" Karin teased as we all bounded outside. Yuzu blushed bright red, and I smiled at the poor girl that obviously had a crush on both guys.

"N-n-noo that's... " Yuzu stuttered, then something mischievous glinted in her eyes. "Besides, I'm not the one that sneaks down to Urahara's shop every time the shingami visit, trying to catch a glimpse of Toshiro," she giggled, and this time Karin turned red. Across the campus an older girl with waist length strawberry blonde hair waved us over, two flower bobby pins holding back her bangs at her temples. She was holding take-out bags and my stomach growled as I realized that there were four bags instead of three.

"Hi," the older girl grinned as soon as we were in earshot.

"Hey Orihime, what's for lunch today?" Karin asked.

"Ramen," Orihime responded. Then she turned to me, "You're Eri, aren't you?"

I nodded, and we all sat down to eat. As it turned out, Orihime was a teacher of one of the freshman classes at school and often ate her lunch with the girls. She'd started out friends with the girl's older brother, Ichigo, but once Ichigo left - everyone was a bit close lipped on where he went, but it sounded like some sort of military - she'd befriended the girls too. The three girls chatted while we ate, mostly Yuzu and Orihime speaking about girl stuff, but every once in a while Karin would pipe up with either a comment about Chad or Noba, much to Yuzu's embarrassment. It seemed neither of them really seemed to notice Yuzu beyond her being Ichigo's younger sister, much to all of our dismay. Toshiro's age and relationship to the group was a bit harder to pinpoint, the way Orihime talked about him made him seem much older than her, but the way Karin spoke about their antics over the years if seemed like he was the same age as the twins. All I could really gather was that he was Ichigo's superior officer, though it did seem like he had some feelings for the raven haired girl once I heard about the vast differences in his behavior around her. After a particularly teasing remark about Toshiro from Orihime, Karin brought up the subject of Uryuu, earning a scarlet blush and stammering response from the strawberry haired girl. We all laughed at that, and it was Yuzu who filled me in on how Uryuu was friends with Orihime, Chad, and Ichigo since their junior year in high school, and that while he was a bit on the boring side (which Orihime vehemently denied) he did sew rather well, and seemed the most responsible of the four. It seemed they'd had an eventful last 2 years of high school, and though she wouldn't go into detail, I could tell that some of it was hard and still troubled Orihime deeply.

In an effort to dispel some of the awkward silence that had descended after Yuzu had asked what Uryuu was up to these days, and Orihime got lost in a memory, I mentioned that I was now staying in Urahara's shop. Yuzu and Orihime squealed, and Karin made me promise to call if any late night visitors showed up that had spiritual pressure. It was my turn to clam up whenever the girls asked about my past though, and soon enough they stopped asking. The lunch hour flew by, and by the end of it I knew I'd made new friends. Orihime went back to her class to teach and Yuzu, Karin, and I returned to learning in our classes.

After that school became easier, the twins and I would hang out at the back of the class, not causing too much trouble but getting into harmless mischief, and we'd have lunch with Orihime and sometimes Chad (who turned out to be an oversized, if nice, guy). Over the fall months we fell into an easy routine of hanging out, ignoring the whispers that we were all too close-knit for a group of girls.

The whispers had started that first day in PE, when Yuzu and Karin quieted the girls' locker room when we all went to change. Forced to change with the group, it didn't take long before gasps were heard and everyone was staring at the ugly scars that mangled my stomach, torso, and hips.

"Aww shaddup! You all act like you've never seen a scar before," Karin growled, before throwing my shirt at me. Yuzu stood up and screened me with a towel, and I sighed in relief before pulling the shirt quickly on. After that the vicious rumors started, and Karin and I got into a lot of fights dispelling any perverted thoughts people had, quickly earning a thuggish reputation -bolstered by the fact that when he was in school, the girls' brother Ichigo was a badass too - and people stopped messing with us. The protection extended to Yuzu as well, something we were all glad about, because the rumors and the stares had bothered her much more than it had bothered any of us.

I'd started having dinner at the Kurosaki's before going home, Yuzu was a mean cook and Isshin was hilarious in his overprotection of the girls. He was an overly dramatic big kid, goofy and a bit over enthusiastic with his desire to spend time with his kids and their friends, which was actually kind of cool.

It was the Friday before the winter break in school, and I was spending the night at the Kurosaki's, Isshin gone for the weekend. We were taking full advantage and having a much needed girl's night, gorging ourselves on ice cream and watching horror movies. I'd just finished brushing Yuzu's hair, both of us laughing at Karin while she made fun of the heroine.

"Eri?" Yuzu said, not turning around as the end credits rolled across the screen.

"Yuzu?" I mimicked, then snickered. Instead of laughing or continuing, Yuzu stayed silent for a second, all too serious even for her. I was just about to ask her what she wanted when she spoke up again, voice slightly timid.

"Why don't you grow your hair out?" she almost whispered.

"Wow, we need more soda!" I tried to brush off the question and grabbed our glasses. Karin's hand caught my wrist before I could escape to the kitchen. "I like it this way," I shrugged, hoping that they would be satisfied with the answer.

"Bullshit," Karin sighed.

"Karin, if she doesn't want to tell us it's ok!" Yuzu admonished, and both girls were looking at me with huge eyes. Fine, if they wanted to know, I shrugged again.

"It-" I started, struggling to find a tame way to phrase my reason. "Longer hair provides a handhold... makes it easy for someone to trap and control you." Yuzu looked at me in horror while Karin studiously avoided my gaze. Then the moment was shattered by an ear wrenching howl seconds before tentacle crashed through the nearest window. It wrapped itself around Yuzu, and we all screamed as it yanked her back through the newly created hole. Karin and I didn't say anything, just shot to our feet and took off after Yuzu. The tentacle retracted in front of us, always dancing just out of reach, leading us to an open field before it came to a rest beside a huge squid like monster. My mind boggled at the horror of it, and something inside me snapped. Wishing for enough power to protect my friend, I was surprised when a bright blue mass of energy started collecting in my palm, and I wasted no time spiking the energy into the tentacle, an attempt to get it to drop the girl. It howled in pain, tightening its grip on Yuzu, causing her to pass out. I roared back at it, and quickly gathered another burst of energy, watching as a soccer ball flaming with energy came sailing out of nowhere to slam into the thing. It dropped Yuzu, only to catch her with another tentacle before sending a different one to crash into Karin, knocking her out of the fight. Renewing my attacks I concentrated on pouring more energy into them. In the distance I could feel familiar spiritual pressure approach, and I gritted my teeth, determined to not allow this thing to escape now that the cavalry was on its way.


	3. Nightmare Come To Life

**AN: So I left a bit of a cliffhanger in the last chapter, but I figured it would be forgiven because I was posting this next one right away. Again yay for those that are still reading into Chapter 3 :) Now is probably a good time to warn you that unfortunately I'm going to be leaving a cliffhanger up ahead because I haven't finished writing this yet (heh I may or may not be stalled).**

**I don't own Bleach.**

"Did you miss me, love?" a bone chilling voice whispered next to my ear. I gasped in shock as claw tipped fingers circled around my waist.

"Asano?" I whimpered. Panic flooded my senses, making everything but the sound of his breathing and the feel of his claws drop away. He spun me to face him, and a claw reached up almost delicately to trace down the right side of my face, pressing just hard enough to break the skin.

"Sent here on a routine snatch and grab," Asano nuzzled the side of my neck, his iron grip holding me there as I recoiled. His voice changed and grew high and mocking, "Capture the two sisters, declare war on the traitor." I assumed he was echoing whomever had given the order. I growled and slammed a ball of spiritual energy into him. I was beginning to enjoy this newfound power! For a second his control wavered, and I saw him fight whatever urge he was having, before he suddenly relaxed and smiled again. His bone mask quickly receded as his claws retracted, and finally his eyes went the beautiful sky blue I remember from my childhood, the same ones I'd fallen for not too long ago.

"Do you want me to let her go?" he teased, his voice no longer cold and empty, now full of warmth and life. One hand reached down to stroke my side were the scars from my last run in with him was and I cautiously nodded. He smirked down at me, his now human hand tucking a finger under my chin and tracing my jawline. Emotions still warred within me, part of me realizing that this had to be a trick, the other part hoping I had my old friend back, and watched as he lowered his head to my left ear. "Then pick one," he whispered in my ear, his lips grazing the lobe before he pulled back. Fear and horror flooded me as I slammed my eyes shut against the tears, refusing to allow him the pleasure of seeing me cry.

"Fuck you," I growled. "Take me instead," I pleaded. Pain erupted on my face and in my shoulder as his hands grew talons again, and he deliberately opened a gash that hooked under my jaw, his other claws once again embedding themselves into my left shoulder. A hand wrapped around my neck, the familiar crushing back again, but perfected so that I could breathe, albeit painfully.

"Look at me," he ordered, the cold voice back in full force. I snapped my eyes open, already knowing he'd transformed back to whatever monster he was, defiantly staring at the black and gold eyes now burning with anger. He whirled me around again, so my back was to him and I was facing Yuzu and Karin, both passed out and held up by tentacles. His grip changed, one clawed hand digging into the scars on my right hip as he pinned the other into my left shoulder, then slowly started to hover off the ground, making sure I was suspended by my weight on those claws. Pain screamed through my entire body and I fought the dark embrace of unconsciousness. Just a little longer, I told myself, feeling the other spiritual energies get closer, and relief must of washed through my stance, because suddenly his attention was no longer on me. He looked off into the distance where the energies were approaching from, then looked back down at me. "I suppose you think you're clever, that you've been distracting me - waiting for the heroes?" he smirked.

"Whatcha on about?" I wheezed. He laughed and nuzzled my neck again, this time stopping to lap at the dots of blood seeping out around his claws in my shoulder before burying his face in my neck once more.

"Love, it was always the plan to let him see who had them," he whispered, smiling as I recoiled again. "You're just a bonus," he giggled then. "Now choose, because if you don't tell me which one to take, I -will- take them both," the malice in his voice warned me just what would happen if he did take them.

"Promise you won't hurt her?" I mumbled in defeat. He licked and bit at my neck, hard enough to break skin, and for a second I thought he wasn't going to answer.

"No," he laughed, my heart plummeted. "But if you don't choose, I promise I will harm them both ... repeatedly," he then rocked his hips against mine and I was choking on bile. "Tick Tock, little love."

I sighed and made my choice, whispering her name, hating it, but knowing that the other's spirit would make him hunger to break her. He pulled back and ripped his claws out of my shoulder, making a show of licking them clean before shoving me with enough force to send me flying. I had just enough time to feel warm arms enveloping me before I hit the ground and a flash of red hair before everything went black.

Loud voices arguing in a nearby room jerked me awake, their words still lost to the haziness befuddling my brain. Briefly I registered tight bandages wrapped around my upper left arm and shoulder, my right hip, and finally loosely around my chin.

"You have to hide her, the minute Karin wakes up and tells him she knows who took Yuzu he's going to come here!" Renji shouted. "He's pissed and not thinking clearly!"

Kisuke's answer was lost as the attack came rushing back, and I fearfully sent out questing tendrils for Karin's energy, already knowing that I wouldn't find Yuzu's, only to find it shadowed by a very powerful, very intense spiritual energy. It slammed into mine and I gasped as I felt tinges of similarity between that energy and the energy that rolled off Asano, something dangerous lurked beneath the surface of both. "Ah hell," Renji grumbled. I scrambled for the window, hearing his heavy footsteps approaching from the hall, dismissing his concerned shout as I slipped over the sill. I ran full tilt over to the Kurosaki residence, where I could feel that energy blocking Karin's. I stopped a block away, heavy spiritual pressure slowing my movements and making me gasp for breath and again I reached tentatively for Karin's energy, pleased when it showed a lack of harm to the other girl. Brushing aside the pressure was easy, like ignoring the pain that flared in my shoulders and hips from running or in my throat as my panting ignited the bruise that tenderized the inside. Strengthening my resolve I strode purposefully over to the front of the clinic, never noticing the others following me.

When I reached the front door without incident, I paused with uncertainty, the silence of the night unsettling as the air seemed to pulse with angry energy. How had I managed to not be attack- "Ichigo, wait!" a voice broke the silence and I was yanked behind a tall man clad in black. Renji. He was blocking a huge sword with a fanged katana, grunting slightly, his spiky red ponytail trembling as the blade pulled back and swung at us again. Without warning he wrapped fingers around my wrist, the world blurred and suddenly we were many steps away, this time standing with Kisuke and another black clad guy, this one looking younger, like a kid, with shocking white hair. I immediately recognized him from Yuzu and Karin's descriptions, this must be the infamous Toshiro. The kid glared at me for a second before blocking a series of rapid fire attacks. Renji's hands lingered, and I felt a strange sense of calm flowing from them before I twisted out of his grasp.

"Toshiro, whatcha fighting me for? She's the one who helped him hurt Karin and Yuzu!" Ichigo paused. I got my first look at the twins' older brother, and I was a bit shocked to see vibrant orange hair spiking out in all directions and amber eyes that seemed to burn with anger.

"That's Captain Hitsugaya!" the boy sighed. And for a moment it looked like they were going to start fighting, before Ichigo returned to glaring at me.

"ME?!" I growled. "I'm not the one who leaves my kid sisters unprotected while I dabble in dangerous shit. Obviously you pissed someone off!"

"What?!" Ichigo roared.

"He wasn't after me you dumbass!" I yelled.

"Dunno, you sure as hell looked pretty close when we showed up," he replied. I gaped in shock, and anger clouded my judgment as I collected a bit of spiritual energy and threw the pulsating electric blue mass at him, hitting him in the stomach and causing him to double over in pain. Everyone but Kisuke looked surprised, and I took the moment to form another, but this time he batted it away easily.

"What the fuck?" Ichigo growled. I amassed another ball of energy, only to be stopped by a calming hand on my shoulder, Renji again, and this time he wouldn't let me shake him off as calm flooded into my senses. My anger slowly ebbed under that warm blanket of peace, and the ball dissipated into nothing. How was he doing that? I turned to refocus my energy and anger on Ichigo, but it was hard to concentrate against the waves of whatever it was turning me to jelly. I thought I saw the little white-haired kid hold back a snicker before noticing someone else was standing behind Ichigo, a petite raven-haired girl, her hands and stance mirroring Renji's currently gripping my shoulder. Instinctively, I knew she was doing the same to the other boy, and I felt a little bit better.

"Better?" the Renji grinned at me, and I was knocked speechless. I felt the familiar flush creep up my face again.

"Too much Renji, you might want to pull it back a bit," Kisuke commented with a dry laugh. The hand left my shoulder and I felt a little saddened by the loss.

"Lemme go Rukia," Ichigo growled, but this time it held no bite. He shook her off, and we both just glared at each other, but made no move to resume the physical attacks.

"Now that that's over with, let's get to the bottom of this," Toshiro was the first to speak, his voice icy as he turned to me. Whoa, no wonder Karin liked this guy, he was all temper just like her, but he didn't flare hot, he flared cold. "Who attacked you?"

"Asano," I replied, a little belligerently. The boy rolled his eyes, and I felt Renji shuffle closer, but I sidestepped and kept my gaze on both Ichigo and Toshiro, assessing them as my highest threats at the moment. So it came as a surprise when Karin's voice split the tension in the air.

"Dammit Eri, just answer the question," Karin growled in a fair imitation of her older brother.

"You're ok!" I exclaimed, relief hitting me like a freight train. The entire group gasped, except Kisuke who just smiled indulgently, and by the way everyone looked around I figured I had been throwing off just as much pressure as Ichigo had.

My suspicions were confirmed when, the dark haired girl, Rukia, muttered, "Damn Ichigo, she's almost as bad as you!"

"Tsch," Karin waived my concern away. "I am for now, but Yuzu," pain filled her voice, and I shifted uncomfortably. This time I didn't move when rough hands began rubbing up and down my arms, comforting and filling me with warmth. "Asano," she blanched, like she suddenly remembered something. But when had she ever encountered him?! "You ... whimper his name in your sleep," she explained, and pleading black eyes clashed with mine, while I saw the boy wrap his hand around her waist.

"He won't hurt her," I lied, answering her silent question. The hands tightened on my arms before I was slowly backed into a comforting embrace. It was familiar, and I knew I shouldn't, but I was too tired to fight the feeling right now, my newfound ability suddenly draining me.

"Did he say why he took her?" Toshiro resumed his line of questioning.

"Said something about declaring war on the traitor," I replied sleepily.

"Enough, we can't go anywhere tonight anyway, let's continue this in the morning," Renji rumbled from behind me. I bristled at him for making the choice for me, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Kisuke hide another of his damn smiles behind his fan, but I couldn't find the energy to protest. Karin looked at me in surprise, and I just shrugged, raising an eyebrow before glaring pointedly at the arm of a certain captain still wrapped around her waist. I saw Ichigo start to follow my line of sight, and I scrambled for a distraction because I knew the older brother would object. Fortunately Rukia noticed too and had a faster reaction time than me, plastering herself against Ichigo's side. I watched in amusement as she reached up and pulled him down for a kiss before whispering something in his ear. He turned bright red, but grabbed her hand and they both nearly sprinted inside. It was only seconds before Karin was wrapped in a full embrace, both of them staring at each other. "What? Never thought Hitsugaya had it in him," Renji laughed and the younger boy winced. Hmmm, time for some distraction of my own... I gave in to a jaw popping yawn, stopped short when it pulled open the gash on my chin.

"C'mon Renji, let's get her home before she falls down," Kisuke laughed, and before I could object I was swooped up into strong arms. I wanted to shout for them to put me down, but Renji was doing that stupid calming warmth thing again, and I fell asleep long before we reached the shop.

Pain exploded in my abdomen, fiery trails licking both up my sides and down my hips. Black and gold eyes consumed me, as the soft face of Asano dissolved into a bony mask and a cruel twisted expression. I tried to fight what I knew was coming next as he turned to the poor girl staring at us helplessly, then smirked back at me. Before I could react the set of five claws buried in my stomach glided up my torso, shredding skin and dress from just above my right hip, to stop just under my breast. He held my neck in a crushing grip, and pointed at the other girl with blood stained claws.

"I'll give you a choice," he whispered gleefully. "Submit to me now, and every day will be just like this," he dug a claw deeper in the gash on my hip, "or she can take your place. For her it will be over in a moment, she'll be gone before she can even blink."

I jerked my eyes to his in surprise, and he grinned. Looking over at the other girl and feeling the hand crushing my throat I wavered in indecision.

"What'll it be, love?" Asano mocked, his voice soft as he leaned in to nuzzle my shoulder, laughing at my shudder. "Do I take her, or you?"

"Her," I whimpered, even as my mind screamed 'me!'. He made an approving sound before turning to the girl, hand tightening on my throat as I began to scream. Seconds before he eviscerated her in a single blow, the girl's features morphed into Yuzu's, and I heard Asano's voice again, but this time it wasn't part of the memory.

"Tell them to come to Hueco Mundo," he whispered, and in a blink I was standing outside of a poorly lit room. Yuzu lay in the middle of the floor, shivering, her eyes closed in sleep. I watched in horror as Asano crept up to her and began lightly stroking his claws over her as she whimpered and tried to shrink away. "And Eri, love, if you're not with them," Asano chuckled as he drew back his hand and slammed it full force into the girl. Blood began to pool under her and she screamed in pain, and Asano stopped for a second, savoring the sound before winking at me and then slamming his claws into her over and over and over until she stopped screaming and breathing.


	4. Overblown Panic That Melts Into Anger

**AN: Okay last prewritten chapter! This one leaves on a bit of a cliffhanger (at least it does in my opinion) and I'm a bit stalled on where this is going next. Sigh. But I'll be thinking on it and of course I welcome any ideas anyone may have that's still reading. Oh and it should be noted that this one may be a little shorter than the rest due to the previously mentioned stall.**

**I don't own Bleach.**

I woke up with a scream, the last scene of my nightmare playing in my mind on some sort of sadistic loop, terror temporarily flooding my senses. Feeling a panic attack begin, I forced my eyes open making myself recognize that I was in my room back at Urahara's, and with effort cut off the scream. Pain burned in my shoulder, biting at my resolve against the panic, and I struggled to turn my shallow breathing deeper before I hyperventilated. Dimly I heard my door come crashing open and Karin stood in the doorway, her fear as she approached causing my panic to spike even more. A hand appeared on her shoulder, restraining her, and I was grateful to the boy that was standing there, keeping her from coming any closer. No trace of Tessai, Jinta or Ururu, who had learned long ago that their fear at my attacks only increased my panic. I struggled to calm myself, keeping a wary eye on both intruders, glad that at least the boy had the wits to just stare at me calmly.

"Shouldn't we get someone?" Karin's voice was timid for the first time since I had met her. The fear in her voice caused whatever control I'd gained since I'd woken up to slip, and to my dismay I was losing my battle against hyperventilation.

""Pfft, for this?" the boy dismissed, and I struggled to remember his name - ah Toshiro. "Besides, with the amount of reiatsu she's generating, Renji is probably already on his way." This time clear turquoise eyes assessed me as the mention of Renji helped calm my panic. Focusing on the nail above the door, I worked to calm my breathing, whittling the rest of the world down to just that nail, which had been put there for that reason. Thoughts drifted back unbidden to Renji and my anxiety cooled further, putting it almost under my control. To my surprise, soothing calm seemed to emanate from Toshiro, tentatively at first, like he wasn't sure, then growing stronger. It wasn't as familiar or intimate as Renji's, but it helped, and I put a firm lid on the panic attack, burying it back into the recesses of my mind.

"Interesting," Kisuke's voice broke the silence, and Toshiro's energy receded. We all turned in surprise at the shopkeeper's silent entrance, but sure enough he was standing behind Toshiro and Karin. "Didn't think she'd be so receptive to all energies. This could prove a bit ... tricky."

"What -was- that?" I asked. Contemplation on how much he should tell me reflected in Kisuke's eyes, before he sighed.

"You and Ichigo are unique, both of you have abundant, if uncontrolled, spiritual pressure," he began.

"Yes, that much is obvious. Get to the point, Urahara," Toshiro interrupted, impatient. And I realized that this must be new information for him too, causing me to wonder how he'd known to spread his energy like that.

"As far as I can tell, this makes the energy sort of a two way street," Kisuke continued. "So not only is the outgoing energy uncontrolled, incoming energy isn't deflected. With Ichigo, since he has learned some control-"

At this Toshiro blew out a disbelieving sigh, but silenced himself under the heat of three glares.

"Since Ichigo now has some control over his reiatsu, I wouldn't be surprised if only those closest to him could channel their energy over. But since this is all new for young Eri here, her energy seems to be able to combine with pretty much anyone else's," Kisuke looked pleased. "Although the cohesion does seem strongest with Renji," he teased, and I blushed furiously. Something prickled pleasantly along my skin, and I was enveloped in warmth seconds before Renji appeared at my windowsill. In moments I was pulled up and into a comforting embrace, and I felt his energy flex over mine as his eyes assessed me for wounds, frowning slightly at the blood staining my shoulder bandage. Involuntarily I curled into his warmth, happily sighing, when an embarrassed cough reminded me we weren't exactly alone.

"So uh, Kisuke was just um - " I stammered, pulling away from Renji. He grumbled but let me sit back on the bed, settling on the edge beside me. His energy didn't peel away though, just settled around my body like a comfortable shirt, and I found that I didn't mind a bit.

"I know, he 'splained it all before I left," Renji shrugged. Then he glanced up sharply, and turned an angry glare on Toshiro, who just gazed back calmly.

"You weren't here and she was upsetting Karin," the younger boy answered the unspoken question. They engaged in a staring match, Renji looking oddly possessive and Toshiro looking bored. Hmmm, time to see if this energy thing really was a two way street, and I concentrated pushing calming thoughts at Renji, who visibly relaxed.

"She's a fast learner," Kisuke sounded proud.

"Whatever," Toshiro dismissed the entire exchange. "The more pressing issue now is what happened that had her so riled up?"

My thoughts flashed back to the nightmare, briefly forgotten, and guilt coursed through me - I should have said something earlier! I started to say something, but Kisuke held up a hand in a silencing gesture.

"Best wait until we're all here," he commented. "C'mon we'll have tea in the kitchen. Rukia and Ichigo should be along soon," he ushered Karin and Toshiro out of the room. Renji grabbed my wrist as I stood up to leave, and suddenly his soft lips were moving over mine. I sighed as a wave of pleasure slipped over me, and he slipped a tongue in my mouth, caressing every inch as I rubbed my tongue against his. Warm hands trailed up and down my back, and my fingers found themselves wound in his red hair. Desire and need made me whimper, and I felt Renji shiver before pulling back and resting his forehead against mine. Burgundy eyes locked onto my own green ones and I blushed.

"Kitten, I've been wanting to do that ever since that first morning," Renji whispered. "But I've been needing that ever since I saw that bastard with his hands on you."

"Renj-" I began to explain, needed to tell him who Asano was, but he interrupted.

"Shhh," he whispered. "Some other time." With that he let me go and walked to the door. "Oh and Kitten? There will be definitely more of this later," he winked. I scowled and followed him out to the kitchen.

By this time the kitchen was full, Kisuke, Toshiro, Karin, Ichigo, and Rukia all staring at me when I entered. We all sat down for tea, Renji pulling me into his lap against my half-hearted protests, laughing when I turned bright red.

"So you're Kitten?" Rukia giggled. My answering glare was destroyed when Renji tickled my left side, using the contact to flood me with warmth.

"Who was that guy?" Toshiro asked bluntly, bringing our attention back to the matter at hand.

"That -guy- was Asano," I said simply. The look on everyone's face and the soothing tendrils of energy coming off Renji made it obvious they were waiting for me to explain a bit further, but my own shame kept me silent. "He said he was here under orders to grab both Yuzu and Karin, 'declare war on the traitor'. The uh, whole thing was actually kind of staged so that you'd know who took them."

"If he was after both of them, why'd he only take Yuzu?" Renji rumbled behind me.

"I suspect he wasn't prepared for Eri," Kisuke replied, saving me the trouble. He met my eyes, and I knew he suspected what had happened, just as I knew the older man wouldn't say anything. "Obviously they have a bit of a history and she provided a very useful distraction." Kisuke actually knew what my history was with Asano, I'd filled him in with bits and pieces over tea after I'd woken from nightmares. He never said anything to judge the way I'd acted that day, and I was grateful.

"How do you know he won't hurt her?" Karin held my eyes. "C'mon Eri, I've heard you scream his name in pain."

"Because he would have done it already," I kept the lie simple and brutal. Tears filled Karin's eyes, and I felt a bit bad, but I knew if they knew the real reason he wouldn't hurt her - that he was waiting for a very specific audience - I'd never be allowed to join them on the rescue mission.

"Did he tell you where he was taking her?" Toshiro asked, even as he placed a calming hand over Karin's clasped fists. Rukia had long since wrapped her hands around Ichigo's waist, probably pumping him with the same good feelings Renji was currently pumping into me.

"Not at the time, no," I replied. Then I felt Renji's energy brush against mine, almost inquisitively as I thought about my dream, astonished as it turned into a protective anger. Crap, it was going to be hard to conceal my plans from him if they just showed through whatever bond we have, and then I met Kisuke's knowing eyes. Damn mysterious bastard had known I wouldn't be able to keep my feelings to myself, no wonder he'd not fussed when Renji had pulled me into that embrace.

"But you know where she is," Renji spoke up, and I sighed.

"He's waiting for me to take you to him," I whispered. I felt hostility rolling off Ichigo at my implied involvement and I cringed even as Renji growled in warning behind me. Worse though, I could feel a slight retreat of the warmth he had settled over me every time I was near. Was he withdrawing? He couldn't really believe I'd... But the warmth didn't come back, and he seemed to be holding me a bit apart from him. For some reason my heart ached at the thought that he could think for a second that I'd join up with that -thing-. At least the thought gave birth to a plan though, and I stood up suddenly, not wanting to be in this man's arms any longer or give him access to what I was feeling. Warm hands lingered on my wrists when I walked away, but I noticed Kisuke restraining Renji as I broke away and leaned against the wall by the doorway. Kisuke himself was giving me a funny look while everyone was looking at me with a little surprise. Suddenly I was angry at all of them, angry that they hadn't arrived in enough time, angry that they had swallowed what Kisuke had said so easily, and especially angry that I'd surrendered to the comfort Renji when I barely knew the guy. Honestly though, I was mostly angry with myself for being powerless to stop Asano and for making the choice I did.

"Eri?" Karin broke through my thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to answer your question before," I dropped my gaze to the floor. "You wanted to know why Asano took that poor little lamb, Yuzu?" I grinned cruelly. Liquid flooded my eyes but I ignored it, blocking everything but the shame of it all.

"Stop," Toshiro commanded, and I flinched but continued.

"I mean, why wouldn't you want to know? He had them both there, Karin and Yuzu, he could have easily taken both of them," I shrugged. "He only took her because he asked me to choose, and I easily chose her. Not even a thought for what he could do to such a defenseless thing."

"ERI!" Kisuke rebuked me. It didn't matter anymore though, because already the warmth that the occupants of the room had offered was leaving. I could once more feel hostility rolling off them, could feel that Ichigo was itching for a fight and Karin glaring at me. Time for the finale.

"And now he's waiting for me in Hueco Mundo, maybe you'll get her back, maybe you won't," I looked up at Renji before continuing, "But I do know that if he doesn't see me there, you can kiss that poor girl goodbye." I left the room in silence, running the minute I cleared the door.


End file.
